[PIONEER 10 & 11 Status]
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STATUS UPDATED: 2 December 1996
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Pioneer 10
(Launched 2 March 1972)
* Distance from Sun (1 November 1996): 66.26 AU
* Speed relative to the Sun: 12.5 km/sec (27,962 mph)
* Distance from Earth: 9.76 billion kilometers (6.06 billion miles)
* Roundtrip Light Time: 18 hours 6 minutes
* Active Instruments:
o Charged Particle Instrument (CPI), Powered on for 3 weeks per
month
o Geiger Tube Telescope (GTT), Powered on for 1 week per month
o Ultraviolet Photometer (UV), Powered on for 1 week per month
The spacecraft is healthy and continues to send back valuable scientific
observations from the outer regions of our Solar System. The spacecraft is
still supporting the Charged Particle Instrument (CPI). The battery has been
absorbing some of the electrical load. The instrument will be turned off
sometime in December.
Pioneer 11
(Launched 5 April 1973)
The Mission of Pioneer 11 has ended. Its RTG power source is exhausted.
The last communication from Pioneer 11 was reveived in November 1995,
shortly before the Earth's motion carried it out of view of the spacecraft
antenna.
The spacecraft is headed toward the constellation of Aquila (The Eagle),
Northwest of the constellation of Sagittarius. Pioneer 11 may pass near one
of the stars in the constellation in about 4 million years.